Although we are sure you couldn't get better prices from our competitors, we still encourage you to do comparison shopping. The more you compare, the more you will understand COT's value. Here we would like to reveal some pitfalls that you may meet when comparing translation prices.
1. Pricing by page
Some translation agencies charge by "page". Page as a translation unit is intuitive but may bring tremendous bias. One page of a document may include as many as 500 words or as few as 100 words, depending on font size. On the other hand, the number of tables and graphics contained in your documents will increase page count but will not increase word count significantly.
2. Pricing by target
Word count of source will differ from that of target. Some translation agencies may intend to give a quote in target especially when such difference is significant. There are two problems: First we don't know the target word count until the translation is done. Second we cannot control how many words to include in the translation - it will be totally determined by translators. Take the Chinese language for instance, you should know that on average 100 English words are equal to 170 Chinese words! If the quote is based on target words, the translation rate may looks remarkably lower but your total cost is just the same or even higher.
3. T only translation
Translating, editing and proofreading (TEP) process is the best practice widely recognized by the language industry. High-end translation service providers like COT take TEP as a standard service level but many other providers offer "T"(translating) only translation service by default. Their prices will look very attractive to customers who don't understand the difference among T, TE, and TEP translation service levels.
4. Single translator TEP
Arranging different translators to take TEP tasks (Alternating TEP™) brings better quality but this will cost more. Many translation agencies offer TE or TEP services but they assign only one translator for both editing and proofreading tasks.
5. Hidden fees
Some translation agencies may add additional fees to your bill when you choose them: for example, urgent fee, minimum charge fee, and DTP fees. A note on DTP fees: It is reasonable to charge you DTP fees if your documents include very complex format and layout and you request delivery of target in the same format. However for most of the time DTP is not necessary.